Gulf Marks Two Years Since Katrina; Bush There

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - It was two years ago today that HurricaneKatrina battered Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, killing hundreds ofpeople and exposing weaknesses in the government's ability to copewith the disaster.

President Bush and Mrs. Bush are there today to mark the moment.It's the president's 15th trip to the region since Katrina struck.

Today Bush and his wife plan to visit a New Orleans charterschool and a community center down the Gulf Coast in Mississippi.

Two years after the storm, there has been progress. New Orleans'population continues to grow and sales tax revenues are approachingnormal.

But huge areas of the city remain in shambles. Bureaucracy ischoking federal and state assistance, which hasn't helped redeemthe federal government from it's dismal performance in the storm'simmediate aftermath.

Bush's Gulf Coast rebuilding chief says 96 billion aid dollarshave been disbursed or are available to local governments, implyingthe fault lies with local officials.

The storm killed more than 1,600 people along the Gulf Coast andflooded nearly 80 percent of New Orleans.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.